I Just Called Her Momma

by Mae Durden-Nelson

Book Overview

I Just Called Her Momma is the true story of a seven-year old girl and her family during the Depression era on a farm in the small Central Texas community of Doss. With innocence and humor, the author... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571687149
• ISBN13: 9781571687142
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Eakin Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

I just called her Momma

Enjoyed reading the book, brought great memories. Arrived in great shape and before due date

An endearing, autobiographical tale

Every elementary and middle school in America should have a copy of this book on their shelves. It is an endearing, autobiographical tale of a young girl growing up in the Texas Hill Country during the 1930s-40s. At the center of the story is the making of a blue satin headboard by the beloved Momma; however, along the way, the reader learns of the day-to-day life of the farming family during the depression and before the advent of electricity. The author is very successful in relating the story from the perspective of a young, innocent, and impressionable child. Through her eyes, we learn of using kerosene lamps; sewing feed sack dresses; having only cold running water; cooking and baking on a wood burning stove; making blood sausage, bread, cream, butter, cooked cheese, and molasses; participating in school Christmas pageants; and using the infamous outhouse. We also learn of the grueling daily routine of all the family members (especially of the mothers and fathers). There is the washing routine on Mondays; the ironing routine on Tuesdays; the house cleaning and family bathing routines on Saturdays; and the resting, church-going, and visiting rituals on Sundays. Although their lives were hard (by our standards), there was always laughter at the kitchen table and lively conversations on the porch in the evenings. I've read this book twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. The steady discipline and the German-American work ethic were prevalent throughout the book; as was the wonderful, unconditional love of the little girl's mother and father. When electricity comes to the farm, one can almost feel a sense of loss - although electricity made life easier, there was a loss of the simple, self-sufficient, rewarding, and family-based life that this author experienced. It is important these experiences and feelings be documented, so that future generations can experience them too - and that is exactly what this author does. The author includes many photographs throughout the book of the items and places she describes. She completes the book by recommending related classroom and internet activities. Even though I previously recommended this book to elementary and middle school students, there are many others who would enjoy it - those who lived during this period (it is always fun to reminisce) and those who would like to know more about this period of American history. I will definitely be giving a copy of it to each of my grandchildren. I think that it will generate many fun and informative conversations.

Children's Book Celebrates Rural Life

See the Victoria Advocate for this entire review. It is wonderful and goes to the very heart of this book. The review was written by Reese Vaughn and says this: "...I JUST CALLED HER MOMMA, by a former elemenatry school librarian, is more than a children's book...it's a celebration of rural life that prompts readers to reflect on the way families once lived and worked together. Bill Nelson's photos of practical farmhouse objects remind me of Neruda'a lines in Odes to Common Things: "beauty is beauty twice over and good things are doubly good when you're talking about a pair of wool socks in the dead of winter..."